London - Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine will tour eight cities during their July visit to Canada, their first overseas royal tour as a married couple, palace officials announced on Monday.
The couple, officially titled the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, will kick off their visit in Ottawa before taking in Gatineau, Montreal, Quebec City, Charlottetown, Summerside, Yellowknife and Calgary.
From there, they will fly to California and spend two days in the Los Angeles area.
“The couple are very much looking forward to their first joint royal tour,” a royal source said.
“Their purpose is to strengthen the very strong ties that exist between Canada and their royal family and for the duke and the duchess to get to know Canada better.”
William, the son of Prince Charles and Diana, the late princess of Wales, last visited Canada when he went to Vancouver aged 15 in 1998 with his father and brother Prince Harry. He was given a pop star's welcome and was mobbed by teenage girls.
The brothers also toured Ontario province with their parents in 1991.
Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, the year after she and Charles divorced. - Sapa-AFP